An Accidental Friendship
by iisapyromaniac
Summary: Leslie's life changes when she strikes up an accidental friendship with 4 boys in Castle Rock, Maine, as they embark on a journey that will change their lives forever whether they like it or not. Rated T for language.
1. An Idea

**A/N: I do NOT own "Stand By Me" by Columbia Pictures and Rob Reiner, nor do I own the screenplay by Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans, or "The Body" by Stephen King. I also don't own the characters from the novel, or the setting, etc. If I did, I'd be rich and famous and you would know my name. However, you do not. :(**

**I DO happen to own Leslie Johnson, Marcia Cunningham, Rachel Ryan, Christina Lee, their parents, their siblings, and the kitty Dakota. Please read and review! Constructive criticism is welcome as well as encouraging criticism. If I have made a mistake with the characters, setting, etc, please do review and let me know! Finally, enjoy! :)**

It was the Friday before Labor Day when I got back from the market with my mom. Marcia, Rachel, and Christina were waiting for me outside of my small cream colored house with the rotted robin's egg blue shutters. Mom took forever to get out of the car, not wanting the humidity to mess up her blonde bee-hive that she took until another millennium to do that morning. It was hot, real hot, and Christina was complaining about the humidity, too. I think it got up to about one-oh-one, and it was only nine o'clock.

As usual, the girls squealed when I stepped out. I guess you could say I was their leader: they followed me around, copied my every move. The only one who didn't do that was Marcia. You could say she was my favorite. Rachel and Christina were great, too, but it's annoying when you have your own little clones that follow you around all day.

Back then I was looked down upon. All the parents resented me because I wore my brothers jeans and wore too much eye make-up. We had a black cat that we let loose that ran around the neighborhood, and it's rumored that it gave bad luck to anyone who crossed it. That was untrue: Dakota was the sweetest kitty in the world. I didn't tie my hair back with ribbons, I just let my dark hair hang loose. The sun brightened a few streaks towards my ends during the summer, but in the winter it got real dark.

"I love your outfit, Leslie!" Rachel exclaimed once I'd ran over to them. She stood, smiling, running her blue eyes up and down me, no doubt making a mental note to wear something exactly like it the next time I would see her.

"Thanks. It's just a pair of my brothers old jeans and a White t-shirt. This is my dads old lumber jacking shirt." I said, pointing to the faded red and black plaid shirt.

Rachel Ryan was your typical girl. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and wore her hair in all the latest fashions. That day she was wearing a baby blue dress and black Mary-Jane's with Bobby socks and a matching blue ribbon in her hair. Mrs. Ryan worked as a waitress at the Blue Point Diner. Rachel invited her friends for free milkshakes and fries there, and occasionally free hot fudge sundaes. Mr. Ryan worked with my dad: lumber jacking.

Christina Lee was the bookworm out of all of us. She always let us copy off her homework if we were in a tight spot and didn't do it: that applied to me usually every week. That day Christina had just gotten back from Math camp down in New York. She was the only one who had been out of state out of all of us then. Christina was wearing a knee-length black skirt despite the heat and Mary-Jane's and Bobby socks like Rachel. She had on a White blouse with a red and blue striped sweater vest. Rachel's mom and dad were divorced, something uncommon that time. She lived with her mom and two little brothers, Ricky and Simon. Her mom worked as a cashier at the Castle Rock Drugstore. Last time we heard her dad was in Michigan, working as a garbage collector.

Then there was Marcia Cunningham. Marcia had short black hair and the only girl in Castle Rock with a fringe covering her green eyes. Marcia's parents were original hippies, influencing Marcia as well. She always wore bell bottom jeans and loose tops, thus joining me in being resented by most of the adult folk in Castle Rock. She liked Rachel and Christina, but we both liked each other better.

"What are we doing today?" I asked them, looking around waiting for someone to throw an idea in the open

"Mrs. Tupper said I could invite you guys to the diner. She said free sundaes and hamburgers this time." Rachel said, biting her fingernails.

"Its only 9 o'clock. I just ate breakfast." I said.

"Me, too." Marcia added.

"Yeah.." Christina said quietly.

"Fine, you guys are so-" Rachel stopped talking abruptly. We all followed her gaze next door. None other than Gordie Lachance was walking down his driveway, his older brother Dennis' Yankees cap on his head, looking down. Rachel blushed at the sight of him. Gordie and his friends were 12 or 13, the same age as Marcia, Christina, and I. Rachel was a whole three years older than us, but was held back in Kindergarten and twice in the first grade. She had a thing for Gordie's brother Denny, who died four months ago in April in an auto accident. She cried for a week.

"Hi, Gordie." I waved to him. He wasn't my best friend, but we talked when we were both outside and bored when our friends were busy.

He looked up and waved back. "Hi, Leslie." He continued walking down Summer Street, where we lived, then he turned onto the vacant lot at the end. We watched him until he walked out of sight.

"He doesn't even_ look _like Denny." Rachel complained, staring at Gordie's white house with the dark blue shutters and the cracked paint and rotting sides. He got that a lot. Even his parents were disappointed in him for not even looking or acting like Denny. He was the Invisible Boy.

Once when Gordie and I were both about 11, Mrs. Lachance decided to get to know the neighbors better and tried to get Gordie some decent friends, so she invited me over for dinner. When I got there, I tried to have a conversation with Gordie, but I could tell he was really shy. I remember we were sitting there, I was next to Gordie who was on my left. Denny sat at the head at my right like the King, and Mr. and Mrs. Lachance were sitting across from Gordie and I.

"Pass the butter, please." Gordie said softly. We were having steak and corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and string green beans. The corn, spuds, and beans were all fresh from the Lachance's garden out back. I spotted the butter, across the table, right in front of Mr. Lachance.

"Denny, are you sure the Army is what you want?" Mr. Lachance asked. Denny would start to answer. "Pass the butter someone, okay?" Gordie asked again, raising his voice slightly. "Denny, would you like me to pick you up one of the Pendleton shirts that are on sale downtown?"

I looked in disbelief as Denny would answer and his parents would be hooked onto his every word. I looked to Gordie, but to my surprise, Gordie had gotten up. He was across the table, getting the butter himself.

That was the last time I set foot in his house, mainly because Mrs. Lachance didn't approve of the way I dressed, along with half of the population of Castle Rock, but also it was my decision, too. It sickened me how the Lachances ignored their own son like that. It was like Denny was the King or something. All I knew was after that I suddenly was thankful my own parents didn't treat me like that, and every time I see Gordie I have this feeling like an ice cub slipped into my stomach.

"It's not his fault." I said in Gordie's defense. For some reason I didn't like what Rachel said. She shrugged.

"I should get home." Rachel said suddenly, picking up her new Schwinn off the front lawn.

Christina nodded. "Me, too. I have to help Simon clean his room."

"Oh, okay." I said, watching Rachel smile and wave as she tore down Summer Street on her pale green and cream bike. Christina said good-bye and ran down the road, turning onto the vacant lot and proceeding to her house. Marcia grinned and said, "It's just you and me." I laughed and we went inside to my house. Dad was off at work while Mom was in the kitchen, pouring two cups of lemonade from a pitcher and handing them to us.

"Hello, Marcia!" my Mom said as we walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson!" Marcia said brightly , taking the lemonade with a cheerful thanks.

"Thanks, Mom!" I said, tugging Marcia's shirt and dragging her out the door. "Be home by noon!" My mom called out the screen door, watching us run down the street and to the vacant lot. We stopped once we were out of sight of my mother.

Laughing, Marcia stopped and gasped.

"What, what is it?" I asked, still giggling.

"I have the perfect idea ever!" Marcia said, grabbing my wrist and staring into my blue and grey eyes.

"Okay, okay, tell me."

"Lets go spy on Gordie and his friends." She said.

"Aww, I don't know.." I said. "That would be a mean trick."

"Come on, let's go. Please!" She said. Marcia didn't even wait for my response. She pulled me all the way through the vacant lot to Carbine street, down in the alley between the Blue Point and the drugstore, cutting behind the Castle Rock Drugstore, the hardware store, and the antique store called Emporium Galorium. She made me jump a fence that came Curran Street, around a corner where Curran meets Carbine, and running still, turning onto a vacant lot where a tree house loomed up on a hill that overlooked the town.


	2. The Offer

**A/N: Again, I do NOT own "Stand By Me" or "The Body". I do own Leslie Johnson and all the others: Marcia, Rachel, Christina, Kerry, Mrs. Johnson, etc. **

**By the way, this is based on the novella, NOT the movie! Thanks to brightteyes for the review! Please review: constructive AND encouraging! THANK YOU!**

Marcia and I stopped, panting for breath, and staring up at the hill. The treehouse looked to be made of planks from the heap of crap behind Mackey Lumber & Building Supply on Carbine Road. The planks were all splintery and full of knotholes. There was a rusty screen door, so rusty you could only make out an outline of three heads moving in the treehouse.

"Come on, let's go!" Marcia pulled me along with her. There was tallgrass surrounding the treehouse, so we hid in there, waiting for the right move.

"Okay, we're going to go listen in at the door." Marcia said, whispering to me. I gulped, but nodded and followed Marcia over under the tree house. We stuck our ears to the wood as quietly as possible and listened.

"Gordie's out, eeeee-eeee-eeee!" Crazy, blind, deaf Teddy Duchamp wailed.

"Screw!" Gordie's voice came out, clearly pissed.

"I knock."

"You four-eyed pile of shit!" None other than Chris Chamber's said.

"The pile of shit has a thousand eyes!" Teddy replied. Chris and Gordie burst out laughing,

Marcia rolled her eyes. _Boys_, she mouthed. I kicked her shin and continued to listen, ramming my ear up against the hard planks. The wood scratched my ear and I'm pretty sure I got a few good splinters.

Just then, a chubby kid was seen from a few hundred yards away, headed straight to the treehouse. A little gasp escaped from my lips. "Come on, _come on_!" I yanked Marcia and we fell backwards into the tallgrass, covered from view. A few feet away, the boy stopped and rapped against the wood.

"Who goes?"

"Vern!" Vern said, out of breath. I propped onto my elbows and peered above the grass just in time to see Vern disappear and the door bang shut. Marcia and I returned to our spots, pressing our ears up against the bottom of the wood. I'm pretty sure I got a even more splinters.

"Hear what?"

"Lemme get my breath. I ran all the way from my house."

All of a sudden, the boys started belting the Little Anthony song. Marcia rolled her eyes, suppressing a giggle.

"Fuck your hand, man!" An exasperated Vern said.

"Drop dead in a shed, Fred." This time, _I _rolled my eyes.

"You ran all the way from your place? Man, you're crazy. It must be ninety out there." Chris said in awe. Marcia glared at me, most likely mentally trying to figure out what was so important that Vern ran two miles from Grand Street.

"This is worth it. Holy Jeezum. You won't believe this. Sincerely."

"Okay, what?"

"Can you guys camp out tonight? I mean, if you tell your folks we're gonna tent out in my back field?

"Yeah, I guess so. But my dad's on a mean streak. Drinkin', y'know." Chris said.

"You got to man. Sincerely. You won't _believe_ this. Can you, Gordie?"

"Probably."

Marcia shot me a glare and I missed the next couple of words. I shook my head to tell her to shut up, and once again I pressed my ear to the wood.

"I knock."

"_What_?" Teddy squealed. "You friggin' liar! You ain't got no pat hand. I didn't deal you no pat hand."

"Make your draw, shitheap." Chris said, attitude in his voice.

These next words that were spoken we might've missed if we weren't as quiet as we were. "You guys want to see a dead body?" They were so soft if the wind blew we'd miss it.

Marcia gasped and I slapped a hand over her mouth to restrain her from reacting. We listened as Vern told the story of how he was under his porch early in the morning, looking for his long lost pennies, when his older brother Bily and another friend named Charlie Hogan were talking about boostin' a car and seein' a dead body. Billy and Charlie were in Ace Merrill's gang. Ace was bad, real bad. He tried to hit on Rachel in the Blue Point once. It was a good thing Mrs. Tupper was workin' that day, unless Rachel, mesmerized that a boy was actually talkin' to her, would've gone right along with what Ace was cookin' up inside his fried head. We listened as Vern explained it was the Ray Brower kid. Everyone in Castle Rock had listened intently to the Ray Brower story, about a boy who went pickin' some blueberries and never came home. It was the third day into the search and everyone from police officers to volunteers tried lookin' for him..And nothing. I was lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even realized the boys started talking again. Snapping out of it, I resumed listening.

"I know the Back Harlow Road. It comes to a dead end by the river. We used to fish for cossies out there." Teddy said. I could almost hear the gears turning in his crazy brain.

"There used to be a bridge, but there was a flood. A long time ago. Now there's just the train-tracks." Chris said.

"Could a kid really have gotten all the way from Chamberlain to Harlow? That's twenty or thirty miles." Gordie said in wonder.

"I think so. He probably happened on the train-tracks and followed the whole way.. Maybe he thought they'd take him our, or maybe he thought he could flag down a train if he had to." Chris went on explaining about a freight running only on the tracks, GS&WM up to two towns, Derry and Brownsville.

"After dark a train must have finally come along...and el smacko."

Just then, the door to the tree house burst open and Vern crashed to the ground, right on top of Marcia. Out of instinct, Marcia screamed and I sighed, shaking my head. Just our luck.

Chris, Gordie, and Teddy, roaring with laughter, jumped down to help Vern up. They didn't notice me right away. They saw Vern on top of Marcia, and laughed even harder.

"Eeeee-eeee-eee! Vern's gettin' some already!" Teddy shouted, clutching his stomach, tears running down his face. Chris and Gordie pulled Vern up, and then Chris took Marcia's hand and helped her up.

"Say, what are _you _doin' here?" Vern asked, embarassed and brushing himself off.

"I-I-I..." Marcia said, at loss for words, meeting my eyes. The four boys turned around and saw me standing there. I sighed out of frustration, and watched as Marcia ran down the hill and past the lot, disappearing from sight.

"Leslie! What are you doing here?" Gordie asked me.

"It wasn't even my idea. Marcia wanted to spy on you guys. I think she has a crush on one of you." I said honestly, crossing my arms. I was mad that I got caught, and I was even more mad that Marcia just ran away and left me to defend myself.

"What exactly did you hear?" Gordie asked.

"Everything," I said. "I heard about you guys going to see that Ray Brower kid." Vern stomped his foot, sending dirt to cloud around him.

"Great, now we gotta take _her _along?" Teddy asked Chris.

"Only if she wants to." Chris said, staring at me. I glowered under his gaze. "If she doesn't, then you better not tell anyone." He warned.

"I don't _know_ what I want to do." I spat at him. I didn't know why I was being so mean. Maybe I was just upset that Marcia just ditched me.

"You can come, if you want." Chris offered, while Teddy and Vern groaned in sync.

"Now the whole trip is going to be ruined. Thanks a lot, you wet end!" Teddy yelled at Chris. I raised en eyebrow at Teddy.

"Seriously? Do you not see how I'm dressed? I may look like a girl, but Teddy Duchamp, you're going to eat those words." I made a circle with my thumb and my index finger and spat cleanly through it. It landed right before Teddy's shoes.

The others roared with laughter as Teddy shook his head at me, squinting through his thick glasses. "Say, your name's Leslie, eh?"

"Leslie Johnson. I would say pleased to meet you, but under these circumstances, I'm afraid I can't." Teddy rolled his eyes, then cracked a smile.

"Ah, you _can_ smile, Teddy! I would've thought you were made of stone, with you squintin' at me an' all." I said with a smirk.

"She's not bad." Teddy spat towards me.

"So anyway, you want to go see it? Vern asked, cutting through our conversation. No one said anything, we just stared at him for a long moment. I thought in my head: _Okay, spend two days with four boys to go walk about..twenty to thirty miles to see a dead kid's _body_?_

"Sure! And I bet you anything we get our pictures in the paper!" Chris said, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" Vern said.

"Yeah?" Teddy grinned his manic grin.

"Look!" Chris said excitedly. "We can find the body and report it! We'll be on the news!"

"I dunno.." Vern looked taken aback, thinkin' real hard. "Billy will know where I found out..he'll beat the living shit outta me."

"No he won't, because it will be _us_ guys that find that kid, not Billy or Charlie Hogan in a boosted car. Then they won't have to worry about it anymore. They'll probably put a medal on you, Vern." Gordie said, halfheartedly reassuring Vern.

"Yeah?" Vern grinned at that. "Yeah, you think so?" Teddy was grinning along, his manic grin on his face, until he frowned. "Uh-oh."

"What?" asked Vern, starting to squirm.

"Our folks. If we find that kid's body over in South Harlow tomorrow, they're gonna know we didn't spend the night campin' out in Vern's back field."

"Yeah. They'll know we went lookin' for that kid."

"No they won't. We'll just tell 'em we got bored tenting in Vern's field because we've done it so many times before. So we decided to hike up the tracks and have a campout in the woods. I bet we don't even get hided for it because everybody'll be so excited about what we found."

I stood there, watching them while they talked, still thinkin' about what _I_ was going to do. Should I go?

"My dad'll hide me anyway. He's on a really mean streak this time. To hell, it's worth a hiding." Chris was saying.

"Okay. Let's all get together at Vern's house after lunch. What can we tell 'em about supper?" Teddy asked, still grinning that crazy grin of his.

"You and me and Gordie can say we're eating at Vern's." Chris said.

"And I'll tell my mom I'm eating over at Chris's!" said Vern.

Clearing my throat, I said, "And me?" The boys were shocked to find me standing there. I think they forgot about me for a while.

"Oh, oh yeah." Vern said. Everyone was quiet for a minute and my eyebrows were raised. Teddy's gears were working, I could tell. Gordie had a look of determination on his face, no doubt tryin' to think of something reasonable.

"I got it!" Teddy broke the silence. I listened eagerly. "You can tell your folks that you're stayin' at your friends-" "Marcia." "-house for the night and then you're gonna go shopping or something. Whatever girls do."

"I think that'll work." Gordie said to Chris.

"So are we set?" Vern asked everyone eagerly.

"I guess we are." Chris said, smiling a bit. "Anyone want to play some more scat?" Everyone said no.

"Hey, let's play three-flies-six-grounders!" Vern suggested, and everyone agreed.

"Eh, I better get home and tell my mother. She's going to fuss if I'm not home soon anyway." I said.

"Alright. Meet us back here by noon." Chris instructed, looking at me. I nodded and we all climbed the fence.

"See you later!" I said, running back the way I had come. Thoughts swirled in my head. _I just made a deal to go on a two-day trip with four boys to see a dead kid's _BODY!_ Had I become mental?_

Marcia was waiting for me at the end of my driveway. When I ran into view, she jumped up. "Les! I'm sorry!" She called. I stopped running and smiled. "It's okay. I need a favor." I told her the plan. I didn't exactly tell her what I was doing and why, but she agreed to back me up. "I have to go. I'll see you Monday!" Running into the house, I bolted upstairs. I grabbed two blankets, my canteen, and an extra white t-shirt I stole from my brother's closet.

Just then, my older brother Kerry came in the room. He groaned when he saw me. "Really, Leslie? Takin' my old jeans again?" I smiled sheepishly as he trotted away.

Kerry was 19 years old. He graduated from Castle Rock High School two years ago, and he is takin' after dad in the lumber jack business. I'm not sure if that's what Kerry really wants to do with his life, if maybe that's just what my dad wants him to do.


End file.
